PALO, Leyte– Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte-Carpio urges the country’s prosecutors who attended the recently-concluded national convention held in Leyte to make a proposal of federalism model that could effectively take away powers from political warlords.
President Rodrigo Duterte, the father of the city mayor, is strongly pushing the shift of form government to federalism.
However, this form of government may result for some warlords to abuse it, she said.
Warlords abusing their power are prominent in the northern part of Luzon and in Mindanao and currently in political power.
“I’m sure ano man ang nasa isip ninyo, collect it in writing and submit it to them. Mababasa nila yan, maybe ma-consider nila all the good points that you have in mind, so that you they can come up with the best model for our country,” Mayor Duterte-Carpio said.
“Ngayon nga na wala pang federalism yung mga kapit-bahay namin na Mindanao meron silang mga rido, may patayan sila. If we give them powers of their own, I think mag-worsen ang ganyan na culture sa kanila,” she added.
“If meron silang makita na model ng federalism that will not encourage this warlord culture then I am for it,” she added.
The Duterte administration cited among reasons why pushing for a federalism form of government the unfair distribution of funds among local government units and the national government under the current set up.
Currently, collected incomes of the local government units are all remitted to the national government and receive 40 percent in a form of the internal revenue allotment (IRA) from the taxes collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
The present administration also believes that shifting to federalism style of government will also help in resolving the conflict in Mindanao.
Also during her talk, the mayor of Davao City stressed that she does not have any plans to run for senator in the 2019 election.
Rumors have circulated that the feisty city mayor is eyeing a Senate seat due to her visits to other parts of the country and by forming a political organization known as
“Tapang at Malasakit Alliance for the Philippines.”
Mayor Duterte-Carpio said that she felt that she is more effective as a public servant if she will stay in local politics concentrating to the needs of her constituents in Davao City than running for a national position.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
